4SS: 12 'Til Death Do Us Party
by Ta1u1a
Summary: 12 of 22 in the 4th Sister Series, alternate season 4. Phoebe takes off when she gets cold feet.


Till Death Do Us Party  
>Twelfth episode in the Fourth Sister Series<p>

* * *

><p>Price, Phoebe, Cole and Puck left the movie theater together, arguing about the outcome of the horror flick they had just seen.<p>

"I did too know who the killer was," Cole argued with Phoebe. "I told you so."

"You said you thought the killer was the boyfriend," Phoebe argued back. "Hello Mr. Cliché."

"I did not say that. You said that," Cole argued further. "I knew that it was her mother's lover."

"Yeah right, and monkeys are gonna fly out of my ass pretty soon," Price said. "I heard you tell her you thought it was the boyfriend. But I knew it was Clyde."

"You said it was the pool cleaner," Puck said with a smirk.

"I did not!" Price said defensively. "Well, if you're so smart, who did you think it was, Mr. Detective?"

Price and Phoebe noticed Puck flinch at the 'Mr. Detective' remark, but he quickly recovered. "Uh, I thought it was that dorky kid with the glasses. What was his name? Wallace?"

"Walter," Cole said. "Okay, so we were all wrong. What are we going to do next?"

"I told Piper we'd probably stop by P3 after the movie," Phoebe said.

"Oh, I don't know if I'm really up for the crowd tonight," Price said. "But you two go ahead and have fun."

"You sure?" Cole asked.

"Yeah," Price said. She smiled mischievously. "See ya later, Mr. And Mrs. Turner."

"Knock it off," Phoebe said, smacking Price on the arm. The others just giggled. "We'll see you later."

Price and Puck watched the two leave and then Puck smiled at Puck. "So, no crowds? What do you wanna do?"

"Well, Piper and Phoebe and the guys are at P3. The Manor is empty," she said. "We could go back there."

"Why, Miss Halliwell, are you trying to seduce me?" Puck asked jokingly.

"Maybe," Price replied. In truth she found this as the perfect opportunity to do the demon test on Puck. The potion was waiting back at the Manor. "So, what do you say? My place?"

"Sounds good," he said. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her to the car.

* * *

><p>Phoebe and Cole met Piper and Leo at P3. The two couples moved to the alcove where it was quieter and more private.<p>

"So, you ditched Price and Puck?" Piper asked with a smirk.

"Actually, she ditched us," Phoebe replied. "I think she wanted to get him back to the Manor so she could test him."

"Wait, she took him home?" Piper asked, alarmed by the thought that Price might be trapped alone with a demon. "I thought she said she would test him in public."

"Yeah, so did I, but I don't think she had the potion with her," Phoebe replied. "But anyway, I'm sure she knew what she was doing."

"I don't know," Piper replied. "What if she gets into trouble?"

"We'll feel it," Phoebe said.

"That's right. You've got the connection, and then you can tell me and I'll orb to the Manor to help her," Leo said. "Don't worry honey."

"I can't help it," Piper said. Then she decided to change the subject. "So, how was the movie?"

"Predictable," Cole and Phoebe said at the same time, not wanting to relive the 'who knew whodunit' argument they had had earlier. They laughed. Then Cole turned to Phoebe.

"Honey, how come you seemed annoyed when Price called us Mr. and Mrs. Turner?" he asked. "That didn't offend you did it?"

"Well, uh, I think offend is a strong word," Phoebe said, realizing that she could have hurt Cole's feelings by yelling at Price earlier. The truth of the matter was that she felt weird being called Mrs. Turner. She was starting to agree with the rule her Grams had set. The women in this family kept their names. That didn't quite account for the fact that Grams' maiden name was Johnson, but she hadn't changed her name after the first husband, so Phoebe wasn't going to argue over details.

"So, what was it then?" Cole asked.

"She's just been calling me that every chance she gets," Phoebe said. "I mean, it's not like she's really ever going to call me that in real life. I don't mean to hurt your feelings or anything."

"Oh, no, it's not a problem," Cole said, shrugging it off. Leo noticed he looked a little hurt. "I was just wondering."

"You know I love you, right?" Phoebe asked.

"Of course," he replied. The two kissed. Then Piper interrupted him.

"All right, you two," she said with a smirk. "Don't make me send you home."

The two pulled apart and smiled at Piper. "So, sis, how's it going with my niece there?"

"Oh, well, earlier tonight we experienced her power," Leo said with a smile.

"Ooh! Really? What is it?" Phoebe asked eagerly.

"Well, I couldn't find my keys. We were looking all over the place. We were almost to the point of having Leo orb us to my office when there they were," Piper explained. "They were right on the hook where I know I had already checked. Then I wanted a soda and one suddenly appeared in front of me. Luckily nobody saw it happen."

"So she has the power of summoning," Cole said.

"Looks like it," Leo said.

"That should come in handy," Phoebe said. "So we've got us another little witch in the family."

* * *

><p>"Would you like some wine?" Price asked when Puck sat in the parlor.<p>

"I'd love some," he said, much to Price's relief. If he didn't want a drink she couldn't test him.

"Okay, I'll be right back," Price said. She rushed to the kitchen and pulled out two wine glasses, a bottle of wine and the potion. First she put the potion into Puck's glass, then filled that with wine and swirled it around until it was mixed. Then she poured herself a glass. She hoped that this would work. According to what Prue had written in the Book of Shadows, if Puck was a demon the potion would cause him to choke. Anyone else would just gag a little and be okay. "Here goes nothing," she whispered as she headed out to the parlor with the wine. She handed Puck a glass and then sat next to him.

"So, I forget," Puck said. "Whose idea was it to go to a horror movie tonight?"

"I believe that was a consensus between Phoebe and me," she said. "I guess that threw you for a loop. It's not exactly a date movie."

"No, it's a perfect date movie," Puck said. "That's the trick. Horror is so much better than romantic comedy stuff like everybody thinks. Because in horror films nine times out of ten the girl is going to jump and be scared and she'll be clinging all over the guy. Major date points there. I used to do it all the time in high school."

"Slick," Price said with a smile. She watched as Puck brought the glass to his lips and took a drink. It felt like forever as she waited for a reaction. After a moment he coughed slightly and cleared his throat.

"This wine tastes odd," he said. "What kind is it?"

"You know, I didn't really look," Price said. Her feeling of relief lasted only a moment when she realized that Puck was still an FBI agent looking into her and her sisters. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Um," she paused, having a hard time finding a way to start the conversation she needed to start. "Do you believe in honesty in a relationship?"

"Of course," he said.

"Yeah, me too," she said. "And if you found out someone you cared about had lied to you or was hiding something, how would you react?"

She saw a hint of alarm in Puck's eyes. He could tell that she knew. "I guess, uh, I would confront that person on it. But first I think I would make sure I had solid proof of whatever they were hiding."

"Really," Price said thoughtfully. "Proof. Yeah, well I thought that would be the kind of thing you would look for."

"What are you talking about?" Puck asked.

"Well, you see, there's something that I've been wanting to talk to you about," Price said. "It has to do with me and my sisters, including Prue."

"Wait, Prue? But you never met her," Puck said. Price could tell he was on edge.

"No, I didn't," she lied, remembering Santa's Christmas present to her and her sisters. "But, uh, it still involves her, and it involves you too."

"Me? How?" He was trying to stall the inevitable.

"Hell, I'm just going to say it," she said, setting her glass down. "I know you're not a stock broker."

"What are you talking about?"

"I found out—don't ask me how because I won't tell you—that you lied about that to me," Price said. "And I also found out that you're an FBI agent and you've been investigating me and my sisters. You're trying to figure out why we're involved in a lot of Darryl Morris' unsolved cases, starting with Andy Trudeau."

Puck couldn't believe he had been so careless. It had become evident to him over a bit of time that Darryl Morris had a closer connection to the girls than he had first observed. He had given himself away too easily. Now he didn't know how to fix this.

"What's the deal Puck?" she asked. "Does the FBI want to arrest us? Do you think we killed people or something? What do you think is going on here?"

"I honestly don't know," he said, deciding he had to come clean, especially for his own personal reasons of salvaging a relationship with Price. "I started with the whole mentality 'guilty until proven innocent.' But then I started getting to know you and reading the case files more thoroughly, and my perceptions changed."

"So, you don't think we're guilty of anything illegal?"

"Well, I don't know," he said. "I think I can understand why Morris may have had problems pulling in solved cases with you and your sisters around, because there's no evidence of any kind of a suspect. But how can that be? There's always a suspect, no matter how far fetched."

"Well, you're right about that," Price said.

"Is there something you need to tell me?"

"I'm not sure if you're ready for it yet," Price said.

"You would be surprised," he said.

"I think it would be better if we wait," Price said, remembering what Phoebe had said about what happened when mortals found out they were witches. "I want to see where we're headed before I tell you this. It's very important and it involves Phoebe and Piper. I want to do everything possible to avoid hurting them by telling you."

"Price…"

"Puck it really is for the best if we wait," she said. "I can't take that risk just yet."

Puck decided not to protest any further. At least now maybe he could put some of his suspicions to rest.

* * *

><p>Phoebe and Piper sat in the kitchen eating breakfast. Leo and Cole were off doing "groom" stuff. The eldest Halliwells were waiting for Price to join them. They were actually more concerned with finding out how the previous night had gone than with the arrangements for Phoebe's wedding. Finally Price entered the kitchen.<p>

"Morning," she said as she made her usual beeline for the coffee.

"Good morning," Piper said. She and Phoebe just watched Price move around the kitchen, grabbing the bread to make toast and pulling the butter out of the fridge.

"Okay, spill, what happened with Puck?" Phoebe asked.

"He's not a demon, if that's what you're asking," she said.

"Regular old human?" Piper asked.

"Well, he's not evil. That's the important part, I guess," she said.

"I'm guessing the rest went badly," Phoebe said.

"Well, not exactly badly, but…I don't know," Price said. She leaned on the counter, frustrated. "I confronted him about the whole FBI thing. But I didn't tell him we're witches."

"Wait a minute," Piper said, standing and approaching Price. "You told him that you know he's investigating our past and you didn't tell him the answer to all his questions."

"I couldn't," she replied. "I remembered what you said Phoebe about guys romantically involved with you guys in the past treating you weird and not being able to handle it. I didn't want to drive Puck away yet. I wanna see where this could go."

"But what if he finds out the truth on his own? Can we risk that? Don't you remember what you said?" Phoebe asked. "You said that it was better to risk driving him away and protecting us than letting him find out on his own and expose us."

"I know what I said, but you don't understand…"

"No, we do," Piper said. "We've been there. A lot."

"Why do you think our men are already involved in the supernatural?" Phoebe asked. "It's hard to find a regular mortal that can handle this. You have to tell him now. We know you don't want to, but he'll find out. We've never intended people to find out about our powers, and the results in those cases weren't very good."

"All right, all right," Price said. "I'll tell him. But if he decides he never wants to talk to me again, you two are to blame for my sudden depression."

"Okay, but depression later," Piper said with a smile, giving Price's hand a squeeze. "We need to think about the now and how we were supposed to be on our way to the bridal shop a half hour ago."

"All right, I guess that's my cue to get ready faster," Price said. She left her coffee and toast behind to go change.

Phoebe looked to Piper. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Piper replied. She sat back down and took a sip of her coffee.

"Before you and Leo got married and the whole, well…the whole disaster we agreed not to talk about happened…" Phoebe began. Piper listened patiently. "Did you ever think you weren't ready? I mean, in the normal sense. Like, forget that he's a whitelighter and you're a witch and the Elders did all that crap to you guys. Were you ever doubtful about getting married?"

"Um, well I was too busy worrying about everything else to have normal jitters," Piper replied. "But I don't think I would have had those kind of jitters. If all the supernatural stuff hadn't interfered I think Leo and I would've gotten married a long time ago." Phoebe sighed. "Why? Are you having doubts?"

"Well, you know, I've never really thought about me being married. I never thought it would happen," Phoebe said. "I've always been a live in the now kind of girl, you know."

"Yeah, I know, Pheebs, but that doesn't mean it's out of the question for you to get married," Piper said. "This is the now. You and Cole. This is where you are."

"But the problem is now that the now involves someone else 'until death do us part' I have to look past the now," Phoebe argued. "I have to think about him and how he plays into my future."

"Phoebe, you love Cole," Piper said. "I realize that this is weird to you. You've never really been the type to commit to…" She trailed off realizing that she was wording this wrong.

"Commit to what?" Phoebe asked, becoming agitated. "What?"

"Nothing," Piper said. "I'm just trying to say that this is a new experience for you. It doesn't mean it's not what's supposed to happen."

"You don't think I commit to anything do you?" Phoebe asked defensively.

"No, Phoebe that's not what I was saying," Piper said, trying to calm her sister down. She didn't know where this mood swing came from. "I realize I worded it wrong. I'm just saying that his is all new…"

"Because I don't know how to commit to anything," Phoebe said. She turned and left the kitchen without another word, leaving Piper in shock.

"Okay, and I thought pregnant women were supposed to be moody."

* * *

><p>Puck woke up the morning after his date with Price still thinking about what she could possibly be hiding from him. Could he still believe that it was something bad? He wasn't sure. He just couldn't imagine it being something bad or illegal. But he didn't know what to think. He got up out of his bed and immediately came face to face with a man in long brown robes. He had deep blue pools for eyes. Puck was startled and fell backward onto his bed. He began to reach for his gun on the bedside table.<p>

"There's no need to be alarmed Agent Wolfman. I won't harm you," the man said. "And your weapon is useless. It won't harm me."

"Who are you? How the hell did you get in here?" Puck asked.

"Like I said, I won't hurt you," the man repeated. "I'm here to warn you about Price Halliwell. You must ignore what you find. No good will come of exposure."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Forget your investigation," the man said. "It'll do more harm than good."

"Who are you?" Puck asked.

"That's not your concern," the man said. "All you need to know is that it's in the best interests of everyone involved that you forget your investigation. Something could happen. You could get hurt."

"I don't take well to threats," Puck said angrily.

"That wasn't a threat." Suddenly the man disappeared from sight, leaving Puck stunned and confused. But he knew all the answers he needed, Price could give him. He stood and got dressed quickly, leaving his apartment without even eating breakfast.

* * *

><p>Phoebe laid back on her bed, listening to the sound of the blow dryer as Price continued to get ready. She felt ashamed at how she had reacted to Piper's comment. The truth was that Phoebe knew she couldn't commit to anyone. The only thing she had ever really committed to was witchcraft, and that was because she had to. Her life and the lives of her sisters depended on it. Now she was committing to Cole, and she was starting to think the only reason she said yes when he proposed was because it was Christmas day and everybody was there. She didn't feel like she could do it, be a wife. The thought blew her mind.<p>

Before she even realized what she was doing, she began packing a bag. She packed several pairs of jeans, some shirts and everything else she needed. She didn't know why she was doing it or where she would go, but she just felt she had to get out. Once she was packed, she checked her purse to make sure she had enough cash and she quietly left the Manor without anyone knowing.

Price came downstairs dressed and ready in record time. Piper was sitting in the solarium flipping through a magazine. She was surprised to find Phoebe wasn't there.

"Hey, where's Phoebe?" she asked.

Piper set the magazine down and sighed. "I said something I shouldn't have said. It kind of ticked her off. I think she went up to her room."

"No, I passed her room. It was empty."

"What?" Piper said in surprise. She stood and walked toward the stairs, shouting up when she got to the bottom. "Phoebe! Phoebe!" There was no answer.

"I'll go check the attic," Price said, placing a reassuring hand on Piper's shoulder before running up the stairs. She came back down a couple minutes later and gave Piper her findings with a shake of her head. "Where would she go?"

"I don't know," Piper replied. "I guess what I said affected her worse than I thought." She frowned. "I guess it's okay if she needed to go somewhere to be alone or whatever. I'm just surprised she didn't say anything before she left."

"What'd you say to her?" Price asked.

"She asked me if I had any doubts about marrying Leo, and I was trying to explain to her that it was okay for her to be nervous about it. I made the mistake of saying that she's never really committed to anything like this before."

"Ouch," Price said.

"I didn't mean it the way it came out," Piper said defensively. The two of them went into the parlor and Piper flopped down on the couch. Price sat in the armchair across from her. "But she took it at face value and got mad."

"So, should we just wait till she gets back?" Price asked.

"Yeah, I'll talk to her when she comes back," Piper said. "So I guess you're free to go talk to Puck now."

"Are you sure I have to?" she asked.

"Yes, now that he knows for sure that we're hiding something he'll look harder," Piper said.

"Fine," Price said in disappointment. She was dreading this. And she was even more nervous when she opened the front door and Puck was standing there about to knock. "Puck? What are you doing here?"

He entered the foyer without invitation and Price shut the door. "You remember how you said last night that I wasn't ready to know what you were into? Well, I'm ready."

"Puck, what are you talking about?" Price asked. Piper was listening from the parlor.

"I'm talking about guys who appear and disappear out of thin air telling me to stop investigating you and your sisters," Puck said agitatedly. "So I want you to tell me what's going on. I need to know what you're hiding or I'll just investigate harder than I have been before."

Price sighed. This was it. Moment of truth. "Come on in and sit down. Piper and I will explain it to you."

Piper hadn't intended to be involved in this, but since she was there she couldn't really get out of it now. Puck sat in the armchair that Price had been sitting in earlier, and Price sat next to Piper.

"How do we start this?" Price asked Piper.

"Just go with it," Piper said.

"Uh, okay," Price said, not sure what to say. "Well, Puck I guess since somebody apparently just appeared at your place this morning, you have an idea that our secret isn't exactly normal."

"I would guess not," he said.

"Um, you see, we're…we are witches," Price said. "And not your typical witches that just make potions and follow Wicca practices and all that. We have supernatural powers."

"Powers?" he asked, trying not to lose control. It wasn't what he was expecting, not at all.

"Uh, yeah, I…I can move things with my mind," Price continued. "Piper can stop time at will, and she can speed up molecular processes…basically she kinda blows things up."

"Wait a minute," Puck said, not wanting to hear that little bit of information. "She blows things up."

"No, it's not like you're thinking," Piper said, trying to help Price explain this right. "I don't use it to hurt people, only demons."

"Demons!" Puck exclaimed. "Is that what came to my apartment?"

"No, probably not," Piper said. "The demons would want you to expose our secret because we wouldn't be able to do our duty to stop the spread of evil."

"Duty?"

"Um, yeah, I don't think I need to give you all the details about our heritage and all that, but the basic idea is that we're the most powerful witches in the world," Price said. "We fight and vanquish demons and warlocks because it's our birth-given duty to do so. We didn't choose it."

"What about Phoebe and Prue?" Puck asked. He was starting to pace.

"Same deal," Piper said. "Phoebe has visions of the past and future, and she also can levitate herself."

"Prue had the same power as me along with astral projection," Price continued.

"And all the unsolved cases?"

"Demon-related," Piper said. "Prue, Dr. Griffiths and Darryl's former partner, Andy, were killed by supernatural evil."

"This is impossible," Puck said, continuing to pace. "There's gotta be some other explanation. And Morris has been covering for you?"

"Yes, he does, but only because of what Piper said about exposure," Price said. "Exposure would get us killed. We don't do evil. Andy Trudeau covered for them before he died."

"Hey, what about when we were attacked on our first date?" Puck asked.

"That was a human," Price replied. "It involved something from my past that isn't really relevant to the situation now. It's taken care of."

"I know that we've given you a lot to take in, Puck," Piper began. "But please believe that all we've said is true and that we aren't the bad guys."

"But the guy who warned me away from you this morning said I could get hurt if I pursued the investigation," Puck said. "If he didn't mean that you would hurt me, what the hell was he talking about?"

"You could get hurt as a result of your investigations," Price said. "If you distracted us while we were fighting a demon it could endanger our lives and yours."

"So you're supposed to be the good guys?" he asked. "And you have supernatural powers?"

"Yes," Price replied. She was trying to read Puck, but she couldn't tell. She didn't know if he believed. "Piper, freeze him."

"What?" Puck and Piper asked at the same time.

"If Piper uses her power to stop time it'll prove to you that we're telling the truth," Price said.

"I don't know, Price…" Piper began. She was worried that using her power on Puck would make him freak out even more.

"Just do it," she said. "You'll see, Puck."

He just stared at the two of them. Piper raised her hand toward him and he froze in place. Price had been standing to his right so she walked across the room and stood to his left. Piper unfroze him and he looked around, confused. He was startled to see that Price was no longer where she had been a second ago.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed. He started backing away from him. "What did you do to me?"

"Piper's power doesn't work on witches," Price said. "I moved while you were frozen."

Puck continued to back away. "Frozen? What the hell did you do to me?"

"It's okay, Puck," Price said. "I just wanted to prove to you."

"I'm getting the hell out of here," he said. "Get the hell away from me."

"Puck, wait, please," Price said. He opened the door and she shut it with her power. He turned to face her, his back flat against the door. Piper stood next to Price.

"Puck, whether you believe us or not," Piper began. "You can't tell anyone what we've told you."

"What are you going to do to me?" he asked, now afraid.

"Nothing. We won't hurt you," Piper said.

"We just want your word that you won't tell anyone what we've told you," Price said. "Please, believe that we don't want to hurt you or anyone else. Believe that I don't."

Puck just stared at them, obviously afraid. "Can I leave now?"

Price sighed. She nodded her head and he hurried out the door. They heard his tires squeal as he drove away.

"Do you think he'll tell anyone?" Price asked as she and Piper went back to the parlor.

"I don't know," Piper said. "I think we scared the crap out of him by freezing him."

"He had to see it for his own eyes," Price said. She rested her chin in her hands and closed her eyes. Piper sat next to her and pulled her closer to her with her arm around her shoulders.

"We'll just have to hope that he believed everything we said and that we're not the bad guys."

"Yeah," Price said. Even if he did believe it all, she didn't know where that left her and Puck's relationship. She didn't even know if there was any chance of salvaging it.

* * *

><p>Phoebe stopped the car she had rented on credit in front of the Holiday Inn. She decided she had to reserve the cash for things she couldn't get on credit, like meals and such. So here she was stopping for the night. She had been driving for quite a while. She wasn't sure what she was really doing, taking off like this. She had passed Los Angeles at about four in the afternoon, and now she was pretty sure she was somewhere between Los Angeles and San Diego. She didn't know where she was ultimately going.<p>

She checked into the hotel and then went down to the restaurant. She ordered a large salad and some wine and thought about her life at present. Was she really so petrified of committing to Cole? Or was she doing this for one last irresponsible thrill? She wasn't sure.

Her wine and salad arrived and she ate quietly, wondering what she was going to do. Her recently acquired responsible side told her turn around, go home and apologize to Piper for over-reacting and making her worry, which Phoebe was sure Piper was doing right now. But her other side told her to think about herself and what was good for her. Why be responsible when you could got to Mexico and have some fun? She thought about it a little longer and made her decision. She knew exactly where she was going to go.

* * *

><p>Piper was pacing and obviously worried. Phoebe had been gone all day, and the eldest Halliwell had all the worst case scenarios running through her head. When she heard the front door close she rushed out to the foyer. But it was only Price.<p>

"I checked the club. I checked all the places you told me about," she said, hanging her jacket on the hook and then following a disappointed Piper into the parlor. "Nothing. Maybe we should scry for her."

"I don't know if we're that desperate yet," Piper said. She looked up when the front door opened and closed again.

"Phoebe! You home?" Cole shouted as he walked in. "You wouldn't believe how good I look in a tux." He entered the parlor with Leo and saw that Phoebe wasn't there. "She here?"

"No, she's not," Price said. "We don't know where she is."

"What? She's missing?" Cole asked, suddenly concerned.

"She and I had a small argument," Piper explained. "She managed to sneak out of the house, and we don't know where she went."

"She's been gone all day," Price added.

"Well, did you check the connection? Is she hurt? Is she upset?" Cole asked quickly.

"We did check the connection and we think that she may have learned to block us," Price said. "We can't sense her."

"Leo, can you do your little radar thing?" Piper asked.

"Well, this sounds like a personal thing," he said. "I'm sure she's fine."

"It could also be a supernatural thing," Cole said sharply. "What if she's dying somewhere, Leo?"

"I would know without trying to sense her if Phoebe was dying somewhere, unless she was in the Underworld, which I doubt," Leo said. "Look, she probably just wanted to be alone. What was the argument about, Piper?"

"I really shouldn't say, but I can't believe that it would make Phoebe this mad," Piper said.

"Maybe she's not mad," Price said. "You said you thought she overreacted a bit. Maybe she thinks the same thing. Maybe she's ashamed of the way she reacted."

"Maybe. I don't know," Piper said. "It's just that we've always let each other know where we're going ever since we became witches. It's a precaution to prevent disappearances and worry like what I'm experiencing right now."

Piper stood and began pacing again. It was one thing for Phoebe to go off for a couple hours, but a whole day was pushing the limit. Leo knew he couldn't let things go on like this. He closed his eyes and began talking with them closed.

"She's not hurt," he began. The others all looked at him. "She's not in any danger." He opened his eyes. "This isn't a supernatural thing. You'll have to resolve this on your own."

"But Leo…" Piper began.

"No, Piper, I can't go to her and find out what's going on, and I can't tell you where she is," he said. "I'm trying to follow the rules as much as possible. Believe me, I care about Phoebe and I'd like to help, but I can't. This is a personal thing and you and Phoebe have to resolve it on your own." Then he turned to Cole, anticipating the argument he would get. "I don't want to hear it from you either Cole."

"Where the hell could she be?" Piper asked, sitting down in defeat.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Phoebe woke up and quickly checked out, ready to head to her destination—Tijuana. She had never crossed the Mexican border in her life, but there was always a first time for everything.<p>

After a fairly short stop at the border crossing she was nearing the city, thinking about what she would do while she was there. She had checked into the night life while she made a pit stop in San Diego. As for the rest of her day she wasn't sure. She had thoughts about just hanging out at the hotel. The one she was staying had a fitness center, sauna, pool, Jacuzzi and plenty of other things for her to do. She hadn't brought any work out clothes, but she figured she could buy some. Exercise always relaxed her, and she wanted to relax a little before she hit the town.

She found that the hotel gift shop had work out clothes, so she bought some there after checking in and headed for the fitness center.

* * *

><p>"Darryl, it's been over a day!" Piper exclaimed. She was trying to get Darryl to help them find Phoebe using his connections. "She doesn't have a whole lot of cash and she didn't take one of our cars. She's probably using her credit card. Can't you check that to see where the last place she used it was?"<p>

"Yes, I have the capability of checking on credit purchases, Piper," he said. "But I would have to call the credit card company and tell them that the card was stolen. Then the cops in jurisdiction of her last purchase would track her and arrest her for credit card fraud. Would you like to have your sister arrested?"

"If that'll get her back home," Piper said sharply.

"Piper, look, I don't know what's going on between you and Phoebe," Darryl said. "But I'm sorry, I can't do it." He spoke in a hushed tone. "It's one thing to cover for you three, but this is past the line. I'm sorry."

"It's all right, Darryl. We should be sorry. Don't worry about it. Well, I know you'll worry about it, but…I'm rambling," Price said, exhaling. She took Piper's arm. It was obvious that they were desperate. Something weird was definitely going on. They couldn't find Phoebe by scrying. They couldn't reach her through the connection. They didn't know what else to do. "We'll see you later."

On their way out to the car, Price looked over and noticed the tears Piper was fighting fruitlessly to hold back. Piper had been pretty stone cold since Price had met her, because of her apparent need to be the strong one in the family. But since becoming pregnant, the emotions had a life of their own. Price unknowingly was witnessing the old Piper, the Piper before Prue's death. She put her arm around Piper's shoulders as they walked toward the car.

"She's okay," Price said, trying to reassure Piper when she wasn't sure herself. "She'll come home, and she'll have a perfectly logical explanation for this."

* * *

><p>Phoebe wasn't home, and what she was doing was far from logical. Dancing in a night club called Señor Frog's in Tijuana, Mexico when she should be in San Francisco planning her wedding wasn't exactly logical to anyone. But there she was, dancing with some Mexican guy who barely knew English. He looked like Antonio Banderas in <em>The Mask of Zorro<em>, so speaking didn't really matter to Phoebe at the moment. All they needed was body language. And Phoebe was glad she had learned how to salsa when she was in high school.

The song ended and her Latin dance partner dipped her before they left the dance floor. He smiled at her and tried to speak to her, but she couldn't understand him because he spoke too fast. She remembered some Spanish from high school. She just hoped it would help.

"Despacio, por favor," she said. He nodded his head and spoke slower. She thought she caught him asking her to leave the club with him. She nodded her head and took his hand. They left together, and Phoebe had no clue what she was doing…or why she was doing it. Eventually they ended up sitting on a bench near the beach, looking at the stars.

"Ese es cucharón grande," he said, pointing up into the sky. Phoebe didn't know what he said, but she could see that he was pointing toward the big dipper constellation. He turned and smiled at her. "Sus ojos brilla semejante la luna." Phoebe didn't have a clue what he was saying. "Sus labios esta semejante petalos de las rosas." He leaned forward slowly and before Phoebe knew what she was doing, their lips met. The kiss lasted much longer than it should have, and Phoebe managed to pull away from him. She stood and backed away.

"What the hell am I doing?" she asked no one in particular. "Am I insane?" The man just sat on the bench staring at her in confusion. She tried to excuse herself with her miniscule knowledge of his language. "Perdona me. Lamento." She turned and ran off, not able to say anything else to a man that couldn't hold a real conversation with her.

When she got to her hotel room she stared at the phone. Would it be better to call home, let them know she was okay, and then endure the verbal lashing she would receive for what she had done? Or would she be better off just waiting till she got back to San Francisco to get yelled at? She didn't want to get yelled at over the phone so many miles apart. She decided she had to go home.

* * *

><p>"Darryl, it has been 48 hours," Piper said, now not demanding but pleading for his help. "Please, help us."<p>

"We've done everything we can to find her, and nothing has worked," Cole said. "Just call a trace on her credit card. I mean, we don't know what's happened to her."

"All right, I'll run a trace. It'll take me a little bit to get in touch with the credit card company," he said. He got on the phone and dialed the number of the credit company Piper had told him. Then he used Phoebe's information to help them track all expenses on the card. Piper and Cole watched Darryl talk to the person on the other end, and then he hung up.

"The last charge was made at eight this morning…in Tijuana," he said, delivering the news.

"Tijuana? What the hell is she doing in Tijuana?" Piper asked a little too loudly. Other officers in the station looked over at them.

"Or what the hell is the person who mugged her and stole her credit card doing in Tijuana?" Cole asked.

"Gee, thanks for the confidence boost there, Cole," Piper said sarcastically. "What was the charge for?"

"Hotel accommodations," Darryl replied. "Phoebe, or whoever has her credit card, checked out this morning. So, maybe she's on her way home."

"Maybe," Piper said. She and Cole looked at each other, seeing the desperation for that last charge to have been made personally by Phoebe and not a thief.

* * *

><p>She stepped out of the cab after tossing some money up to the driver. The Manor loomed in front of her like a prison rather than a home. But that was only because she was dreading going inside. She had been stupid enough to take this spontaneous road trip to Tijuana, and now she had to deal with the fall out of her own actions.<p>

The cab was long gone by the time she forced herself to walk toward the Manor. She opened the door, stepped in the foyer and shut the door.

"That was the front door," she heard Price say from the parlor. Then she heard people walking toward her. Piper, Price, Leo and Cole all entered the foyer and stopped in their tracks upon seeing her. Phoebe barely had time to register the look of pure anger on Piper's face before the eldest Halliwell exploded.

"Phoebe Marie Halliwell, where in the hell have you been?" Piper asked in a rage. "You take off for two days with no word, and what the hell did you expect to come back to? Dammit, you know better than this. You blocked the connection. We couldn't find you through scrying, and you go to Tijuana? What in God's name were you thinking? For all we knew you were dead. A demon got you, or just as bad, a mortal got you. Do you know what you put us through?"

Phoebe was too stunned to speak. She looked in Cole's eyes and saw a small glimmer of relief that was quickly clouded over with his anger. He didn't say anything. He was too angry. She saw that Price and Leo were keeping their cool, although still noticeably concerned and angry.

"Why did you leave and why without telling anyone?" Leo asked calmly.

"I don't know," she said quietly. "I freaked out. And the first thing I want to do is apologize to you personally Piper for that argument we had. I blew what you said out of proportion and it was stupid. And I wanna apologize to all of you for making you worry the way I did. I was irresponsible and reckless, and I guess that might explain why I did this in the first place."

"To be irresponsible and reckless?" Price asked.

"Yeah, I think so," she replied. "I mean, what you said Piper about commitment was true, and I just illustrated the exact person I used to be by taking off like this. But after all this, it's not who I am anymore. I am ready for this." She turned to Cole. "I hope that I didn't hurt you too much by freaking out about the commitment thing. I guess I just needed one last reckless adventure before I calmed down a little.

"But that's the thing, Phoebe," Cole said. "You don't have to calm down. I used to be a demon. I'm not the type to wanna spend my weekend playing golf or leading some kind of quiet life. We can still have adventures. You have to have adventures. You're a witch, and you can't avoid it. You don't have to be worried about this."

"I know. I'm still adjusting," Phoebe said. She noticed the looks on everyone's faces. They were skeptical. "I promise that I will adjust to all of this at home. I'm not going anywhere." She looked at Piper. "Um, so you haven't said anything since I started talking. Am I forgiven?"

"Not likely," Piper said.

"Come on, honey," Leo said. "You know what they say. Don't go to bed mad."

"Well then I've got like eight hours where I can still be mad at her," Piper said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Please, Piper, you have no idea how sorry I am," Phoebe said. "I will do anything to make it up to you."

"Anything," Piper repeated, scoffing at Phoebe, who shot her puppy dog eyes at Piper. The eldest shook her head and released a smile. She stepped forward and embraced Phoebe. "You know I can't stay mad at you. But I swear if you ever pull a stunt like this again I'll blow you up." Piper's voice was shaky as she fought against a tearful mood swing. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

"I won't. At least not intentionally," she replied. The two separated and Phoebe held up her hand in the Girl Scouts' salute. "Promise."

Piper wiped away the few tears that had tried to make their way free and smiled. "Okay, so is anyone up for an early dinner? I was thinking chicken fajitas." She smiled and looked at Phoebe.

"Very funny, Piper," Phoebe said. The group headed into the kitchen, putting this small scare behind them.

* * *

><p>Puck walked into the police station and placed the thick case files on the desk in front of Darryl, who looked up. The two of them made eye contact, and Darryl knew that Price had told Puck the truth. He started to turn and walk away when Darryl grabbed his arm and gave him a look of warning.<p>

"If you hurt them, I'll hurt you," Darryl said. "They're like family."

Puck stared at Darryl for a moment, then nodded. He pulled his arm away and walked out of the police station without a word. He got in his car in the parking garage and just sat there. He picked up his cell phone suddenly, meaning to call Price. But he just stared at it for a moment and put it back down. He didn't know what to do. He had never dreamed that the Halliwells' secret would involve everything Price had told him. He had also never dreamed that he would fall in love.

THE END


End file.
